Istanbul to host third meeting of South Caucasus bloc

ANKARA

Istanbul is set to host the third meeting of a regional bloc focused on fostering peace and trade in the South Caucasus on Oct. 18.

The gathering will be chaired by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and attended by his counterparts from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Iran and Russia.

The South Caucasus Regional Cooperation Platform, initiated by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, seeks to foster stability and economic growth in the region.

Discussions will focus on concrete cooperation projects, particularly enhancing regional connectivity, as well as broader stability efforts in the region.

Participating countries are expected to exchange views on key regional and international developments during the talks.

Fidan is set to highlight Türkiye's ongoing efforts to broker peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

He is also expected to emphasize the importance of economic integration as a confidence-building measure, underscoring the role of trade and connectivity in promoting stability.

In addition to the main agenda, Fidan is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with his counterparts, and Erdoğan is expected to meet with the foreign ministers attending the event.

At the conclusion of the meeting, a joint declaration is expected to be adopted, reaffirming the commitment of participating countries to resolving disputes through dialogue and increasing cooperation in various economic sectors.

The bloc was launched in December 2021 with its first meeting in Moscow. Its second meeting took place in Tehran in October last year.

Although Georgia has yet to join the talks due to its strained relations with Russia, the platform says the door remains open for its participation.

The bloc’s primary goal is to establish lasting peace and stability in the South Caucasus, while promoting commercial ties in this strategically vital region.

Meanwhile, Fidan and U.N. chief Antonio Guterres held a phone call on Oct. 16 to discuss the ongoing conflict in Lebanon, according to diplomatic sources.

The call comes amid escalating tensions as Israel has intensified attacks in recent weeks, resulting in numerous civilian casualties and injuries to U.N. peacekeepers.

The discussion also touched on Russia's war in Ukraine, now in its third year, and the long-standing Cyprus issue.

Fidan and other top diplomats from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Arab League met with Guterres in New York on Sept. 26.

Held on the sidelines of a U.N. General Assembly session, the meeting was part of a series of consultations by the “contact group,” which includes foreign ministers from Türkiye, Palestine, Egypt, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Indonesia and Nigeria.

The delegation is focused on ending Israel’s ongoing attacks on Gaza and facilitating humanitarian aid to the region.